- Broadcom Thor Ultra 800G Ethernet Card Targets AI Era with Stunning 800G Ethernet Design
- Broadcom Drives PCIe Gen6 Performance Directly to Demanding AI Data Center Workloads
- Traditional RDMA Finds Its Replacement as Thor Ultra Redefines Packet Control Accuracy
Broadcom has introduced Thor Ultra, described as the industry’s first 800G AI Ethernet network interface card (NIC).
The card is designed for large data center environments that drive advanced artificial intelligence tools and workloads involving hundreds of thousands of XPUs.
Using PCIe Gen6 x16, Thor Ultra improves the performance of Ethernet cards and targets AI data centers where performance and scalability are essential.
RDMA Modernization for Complex AI Networks
The Broadcom Thor Ultra 800G Ethernet Card addresses several limitations found in traditional RDMA, which lacks multipath and scalable congestion control.
Broadcom’s redesign adds “packet-level multipathing” and “out-of-order packet delivery,” allowing for more efficient use of network resources.
Selective retransmission and programmable congestion control have also been added to reduce latency and data loss in high-load environments.
The approach follows the open Ultra Ethernet Consortium (UEC) specification rather than a proprietary model.
It allows customers to connect to any compatible network switch or XPU without being tied to a single provider’s infrastructure.
Thor Ultra supports 200G or 100G SerDes PAM4 and long-range passive copper, while offering one of the lowest bit error rates in the industry to minimize connection instability.
Its PCIe Gen6 x16 interface allows you to move data at extreme speeds suitable for AI-driven workloads.
The card can also perform line-rate encryption and decryption with PSP download, reducing the computational load on the host system.
Secure boot and signed firmware strengthen confidence in the device, while packet trimming and congestion signaling align it with Broadcom’s Tomahawk 5 and 6 switches.
Broadcom describes the Thor Ultra as a cornerstone of its Ethernet AI networking strategy, joining products such as Tomahawk Ultra and Jericho 4.
The company says that together, these components enable an open and scalable ecosystem for high-performance AI computing.
Still, it remains to be seen how well Thor Ultra integrates with other vendors’ technologies or whether its benefits outweigh the cost and complexity of deployment in non-specialized environments.
Broadcom has begun testing Thor Ultra, suggesting adoption among early AI data center partners and operators could soon begin.
Through TechPowerUp
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